public relations

Public Relations

Ellen Treanor

Personal Branding Pros

Professional in Residence SUU

ellentreanor@gmail.com

818-731-4880

Personalbrandingpros.com

Overview

• Definition

• Publics

• Communication Process

• Control

• About the Media

Overview

• Media Mentions & Opportunities

• Press Release

• Press Kit

• Non-media Connectors

• Social Media

Defined

• Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.

Defined

• “Process” is preferable to “management function,” which can evoke ideas of control and top-down, one-way communications.

• “Relationships” relates to public relations’ role in helping to bring together organizations and individuals with their key stakeholders.

• “Publics” is preferable to “stakeholders,” as the former relates to the very “public” nature of public relations, whereas “stakeholders” has connotations of publicly-traded companies. 

Defined/PRSA

– Anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that might impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization.

– Counseling management at all levels in the organization with regard to policy decisions, courses of action and communication, taking into account their public ramifications and the organization’s social or citizenship responsibilities.

– Researching, conducting and evaluating, on a continuing basis, programs of action and communication to achieve the informed public understanding necessary to the success of an organization’s aims. These may include marketing; financial; fund raising; employee, community or government relations; and other programs.

– Planning and implementing the organization’s efforts to influence or change public policy. Setting objectives, planning, budgeting, recruiting and training staff, developing facilities..

Publics

Publics

• Any group that has an interest in the activities of a firm and that may also be affected by those activities

• Who are yours?

CommunicationProcess

Communication Process

Communication Process

Determine the desired objectives of your efforts.

Target market selectionDecide on the media, groups, and individuals

that will be able to reach your target market most effectively. (Connectors)

Communicate compelling reasons for consumers in your target market to pursue exchanges with your organization, and give connectors a reason to pass on your information to the consumers within their sphere of influence. (Message)

Control

Control

– Is the information worth spreading?– Is this information actually news?– Does this information matter to the

intermediary’s audience?– Does spreading this information

positively affect the image or standing of the intermediary in the eyes of its audience?

– Does disseminating this information benefit the intermediary?

About the Media

Media

Advertising Media- Segment of the media business focused on generating revenue through the sales of advertisements

News Media- Any person or entity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw materials into a distinct work, and makes its products available to the general public through purchase, subscription, or free distribution

Media

Content- All non-advertising elements of media, including but not limited to articles, columns, feature stories, and editorials

• Print– newspapers, magazines, and trade journals

• Broadcast– television and radio news

• Organizational publications– newsletters, reports, and Web sites produced by

companies and associations• Electronic

– news Web sites and blogs

Media Mentions& Opportunities

Media Mentions

• Pitch- A marketer’s attempt to convince a journalist to report on a topic relevant to his or her product or company

• Press Release• Media Alert

Media Opportunities

• Editorials• Expert articles• Cases• Events• Interviews• Op-ed- opposite the editorial,

common placement on the page opposite an editorial

Media Opportunities

• Events- A special activity, showing, display, or exhibit designed to demonstrate products or to connect the product to favorable products or activities

• What will you do?

• (When in doubt, give an award!)

Media Opportunities

• Timing, Timing, Timing– Know about lead times and deadlines for

publications• Long Leads for magazines =1 to 2 seasons

ahead– Sometimes a year in advance– Find out the schedule and pitch for a good fit

• Short Leads– Newspapers and calendars

Media Opportunities

• Make your own NEWS– Add something NEW – mix up your event– Bring NEW partnerships, sponsors, non-

profits – Be Unique

• Examples: what makes your ______ cooler than any other event of business just like yours

– Be Relevant– Be timely

Press Release

Press Release

1. Press release label2. Release date statement3. Contact information4. Headline5. Sub-heads6. Body7. The lead8. Boilerplate9. Conclude with # # #

Press Release

• Press Release Headline Here

Optional subhead is placed here, usually in sentence format.• CITY, State, Month Day, Year (Releases) --The opening sentence is the most important element in a press release where you

should succinctly summarize what is being announced. The opening paragraph should clearly get the reader's attention through a strong hook while providing the most important facts. As a best practice, write your press release first then come back and develop the opening paragraph as a summary of the press release. Then compare this new opening paragraph with your initial first paragraph.

• A press release should consist of three to six paragraphs where you provide all the relevant facts and information a reporter should use to write a story. The most important information should be listed first, with the least important information appearing in the final paragraph

• "A great press release should include a great quote from a company executive or industry expert," says eReleases President Mickie Kennedy. "An important thing to know about quotes is that the media generally won't use them unless they are evocative, fresh or state something in a way that would be very difficult to paraphrase.

• Optional Boilerplate• A boilerplate is a short paragraph that explains the identity of a company and what it does. Boilerplate is optional, but it doesn't hurt

to have one to help identify your business. Think of boilerplates as a thumbnail sketch of your company that provides a little background information to the press. Once you've written a boilerplace, you can use it in all of your press releases.

• Contact:• Name of Media Contact

Title of Media ContactCompany NameContact Phone NumberContact E-mailWebsite URL

# # #

Press Release

• What NOT to do– Don’t write in all caps – it has to be changed– Don’t FAX or bring it in - email is best– Don’t wait until the last minute - ask about

deadlines

– ET process- call/e-mail/call/call

Press Kit

Press Kit

• Information compiled by organizations for the purpose of informing media outlets and other connectors about their firm, brands, products, employees, and activities

• Backgrounder- Fact-oriented, takes the form of a narrative about a company, product, or person

• Factsheet- A list of facts designed to entice connectors to cover a firm or its products, while supplying them with information to support their coverage

Press Kit

• Press Releases• Company literature• Executive biographies• Photos• Expert contacts• Clippings

Non-media Connectors

Connectors

• A person who monitors, analyzes, and shares information about a product or industry. An NMC may be paid for her efforts, but she is not employed by a media organization.

Connectors

• Reference Groups– Formal Organizations– Informal organization– Trade organizations– Political parties– The American Medical Association– The Better Business Bureau

Connectors

• Opinion Leader– An individual whose attitudes, opinions,

and behaviors greatly influence a group or society

• Expert- – A person with education and/or experience

in a particular field, who is, typically, not a journalist

– Industry professionals– Self-proclaimed authorities

Social Media

Social Media

Social Media

• Answer these questions– Set clear goals?– Human resources to commit?– Quality content?– Which sites and platforms?– Website is ready for sm attention?– Incorporate social marketing strategies throughout the

buying process?– EVERY campaign is social?

Social Media

Social Media

• Must Have- Blog+

• Measure using KLOUT

Social Media

• Content- CREATION & CURATION

• You are COMPETING for attention in a NOISY environment– Add value– Conversation– Engagement– Involvement

Social Media

• Content- CREATION & CURATION

• You are COMPETING for attention in a NOISY environment– Add value– Conversation– Engagement– Involvement

Social Media

• Twitter – # @– Followers– Mentions– Retweets

• Facebook.com/marketing

• Facebook.com/ads/manage– Power editor

Social Media

• Platform Choices

• Pinterest

• Instagram

• Tumblr

• Presentation Sharing

• MySpace

• Quora

• CafeMom

• MeetUp

• 43 Things

Social Media

• Syndication sites

StumbleUponDiggRedditDeliciousIFTTTBlogCatalog

NetworkedBlogsAlltomSyndic8OutbrainBuzzFeed

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